Jury selection was supposed to begin Monday in the triple murder trial of Roger Marshall, but that will not happen now.

Lawrence County Common Pleas Judge Richard Walton has granted a continuance at the request of attorneys for Marshall. Jury selection has now been rescheduled until April 11, with the trial to begin probably two weeks later.

Walton said defense attorneys asked for the additional time to prepare. William Eaches and Charles Knight have hired their own fire investigator to probe the

Aug. 2 blaze at the Lyle Motel.

Walton said during the two-week jury selection, prospective jurors will be asked to answer questionnaires about their feelings on such issues as the death penalty and if any pre-trial publicity has affected their thoughts on the case. Jurors will also be asked individually about their suitability to serve on the case.

Marshall, 56, of 2101 N. Second St. Rear, is accused of setting a fire at the Lyle Motel that killed three people, James M. Reed, Lolaetta Corbin and John Meyer.

He faces three counts of aggravated murder and 12 counts of aggravated arson. Nine counts of arson are representative of the nine other people who were at the Lyle Motel at the time of the fire, but escaped unharmed.